Maestus
:"You live because I command it, and you will die because I demand it." ''- Maestus Darth Maestus was a Sith Lord and Dark Council member during the Cold War. He is the father of Darth Marha and Darth Lynkai. He was killed in 3638 BBY by Lynkai, who assumed his position on the Dark Council. Biography Early Years Darth Maestus was born Darex on Dromund Kaas in 3691 BBY to Darth Validus of the Dark Council and his consort. Darex was raised inside the family palace, and raised to one day take his father's place on the Dark Council as was the family tradition. He was trained by Darth Validus. Sith Academy In 3676 BBY, at age fifteen, Darex was sent to the Sith Academy on Korriban to continue his training. Darex had been raised in the utmost luxury with dozens of servants and slaves to tend to his every need. He treated the slaves on Korriban as if they were his personal slaves, and would abuse them if they refused. It was then that he first saw five-year-old Gula, a Twi'lek slave. Gula's older sister, Edea, was assigned to Darex by the academy overseers. If Darex was pleased by Edea, he would let her return to her slave quarters. If he was displeased, he would shock her for Force Lightening in front of Gula. Edea's duties were--but not limited to--preparing and tasting Darex's meals, cleaning after him, bathing him, accompanying him on training missions, and pleasuring him. Darex earned the title Sith Acolyte in little time, and was taken on as an apprentice to Lord Rax. Lord Rax was a talented duelist, and he taught Darex how to use his anger to make his combat techniques stronger. He also taught Darex additional Force powers--powers Darex practiced on Edea. When Darex left the Sith Academy to train under Lord Rax, he brought Edea with him. Gula tried to fight the powerful Sith Acolyte as Edea was her only family. Darex used the Force to choke Gula, and threatened the child never to cross him. Edea was dragged away from Gula as both sisters screamed and cried for each other. Edea was later punished for her sister's actions. Sith Lord In 3671 BBY, five years after arriving on Korriban, Darex was promoted to Sith Lord by now Darth Rax. Edea, who had grown to love Darex in the time they'd been together, was happy for him, and congratulated Darex on his accomplishment. She asked Darex if that meant they would be moving to Dromund Kaas to his family's palace as she had always wanted to live there. Darex told her that when they returned to Dromund Kaas it would be to kill Darth Validus. Edea was thrilled at the prospect of being a servant to a Dark Council member. Darex, however, could never shake the feeling that Lord Rax was holding him back, that he wasn't allowing his apprentice to know everything. Darex wondered if Lord Rax felt ashamed or felt that Darex wasn't good enough. This pushed him to train harder. Darth Maestus Defeating Validus One year later, Darex became frustrated with Darth Rax's training methods, and challenged his master to combat. Darth Rax laughed and said that Darex wasn't ready for that challenge just yet. Angered, Darex attacked. The fight didn't last long, and Darex was defeated. As punishment for his apprentice's discretion, Rax Force Choked Edea. Darth Rax then informed Darex that he had been sent by Darth Validus to train Darex, and that he was under strict orders from Darex's father not to unleash him until Validus felt his son was ready. Given that Validus entrusted Darex's training to Rax, Rax would decide when it was time for Darex to challenge him. As Edea begged Darex for help, Rax insulted Edea's alien heritage and snapped her neck, then tossed her aside. Furious, Darex attacked Rax a second time, this time killing him. Angry at his master and for his father's interference, plus sad at the death of his slave, Darex turned his attention towards killing his father. He headed towards his family's palace, and screamed for his father to face him. One servant bravely told Darex that his father wasn't at home but at the Sith Enclave instead. Darex immediately departed for the enclave. Once there, Darex fought his way into the Council's Chambers and challenged his father. Validus was surprised to see his son, and impressed that Darex had managed to fight his way into the chamber. He accepted his son's challenge by mocking him, telling him he was about to regret the duel. The Dark Council watched as Darex fought Validus, not once interfering. The duel lasted a while, but Darex was just that much stronger. Darex was able to corner his father, and held him in place with the Force. Validus broke free and charged after his son, but Darex was quicker and stuck out the blade of his lightsaber. Validus was impaled by the blade and died. The Lords of the Dark Council had Validus's body removed from the chambers, and appointed Darex to his father's seat, renaming him Darth Maestus. House Maestus The newly-dubbed Darth Maestus returned to his family's estate and announced Darth Validus was dead. He then assumed responsibilities for the household and re-named the family legacy after him. Maestus then set about removing all of his father's influence from the house, including killing slaves and servants loyal to Darth Validus. He also set about picking several females to serve as his consorts. Marha and Lynkai In 3667 BBY, one of Maestus's consort gave birth to a daughter. Maestus was thrilled with her birth, and named her Marha. He then immediately made arrangements to have his daughter trained by the best instructors possible. Marha became the center of Maestus's world, and he brought his daughter everywhere. She was raised in the House Maestus palace, Sith Enclave, Imperial Dreadnought crusiers, and places in-between. He demanded the best for Marha: the best slaves, best educators, best outfits, best food, best transports. Marha was to be treated no different that people treated him, Maestus would say, and scolding or punishing Marha would have the same consequences as scolding or punishing him. In 3662 BBY, Maestus traveled to Korriban to the Sith Academy for a routine visit. He brought Marha with him along with a entourage of guards and slaves. During a tour of the Valley of the Sith Lords, a twi'lek approached Maestus and cursed at him. Maestus recognized her as Gula, Edea's younger sister, as both women looked similar. Angered by Edea's memories, Maestus struck Gula, demanding that he he treated with respect, especially in front of his daughter. Gula continued to insult Maestus, blaming him for her sister's death. Infuriated, Maestus made arrangements to have Gula transported from Korriban to Dromund Kaas where she could be continuously punished for her behavior. Maestus fitted Gula with a slave collar, and assigned her to be Marha's personal slave. She was ordered under threat of death to see to Marha's every needs. If Gula stepped out of line, Maestus would use the shock collar to discipline the Twi'lek. Gula's rebellious streak eventually ended, and she succumbed to her fate. Maestus sensed her fear, and interpreted it as a good sign that Gula had finally learned who was in charge. But Gula reminded Maestus too much of Edea, and he began treating her as if she were her sister. Gula felt uncomfortable in his presence, and fearful that he would try to have his way with her. Maestus thrived off of the power he held over her, and the memories of Edea. One day he visited Gula in her room, and she fought back, attempting to get him to leave. Maestus was angered and began hitting her. The more she fought, the more it angered him. He then had his way with her. He then heard a noise and saw that five-year-old Marha was standing in the doorway, and was witnessing everything. He screamed at Marha to leave, but the child was too frightened. In his anger, he struck his daughter across the face, the ring on his finger cutting her cheek. In tears, Marha ran out of the room. Nine months later Gula gave birth to a daughter she named Lynkai. Maestus never acknowledged Lynkai was his daughter, and never made Gula one of his official consorts. To the best of Maestus's knowledge, Lynkai had no possible potential as a Sith, and the young child was treated no different than the other slaves in the palace. Separating the Daughters The older Lynkai grew, the more she began to resemble Marha. Given that Lynkai appeared to be a pure-blood twi'lek and a slave, no one ever looked twice at the young girl. But Marha and Lynkai together, the resemblance was uncanny. Maestus ordered that the girls be separating, which upset Marha as Lynkai had been her playmate. Maestus informed Marha that no daughter of his would be caught fraternizing with a slave. He then informed Gula to keep Lynkai with the other slave children at all times or he would sell Lynkai to a hutt. But what Maestus didn't know at the time was Lynkai was very much Force sensitive, and was using the Force to assist in household tasks. By keeping Lynkai and Gula together, Gula was able to prevent her daughter from getting caught. She struck a deal with Maestus to allow Lynkai to serve in the kitchen, provided the child did not venture into any other room in the palace. Gula also agreed to continue to service Maestus's needs without question. Maestus agreed. Training Marha When Marha turned seven, Maestus began formally training her, just has his father had done before. Her days were filled with Sith tutors, teaching her the history of the Sith Empire and her family's importance in its legacy. When she wasn't studying holocrons, she was learning lightsaber combat with Maestus. The scar on Marha's cheek never healed, and every time Maestus looked at his daughter he felt guilty over his actions. He would then take his anger out on Gula, blaming her for the scar on Marha's face. In 3658 BBY when she turned fifteen years old, Maestus had Marha sent to Korriban to train at the Sith Academy. He was confident in Marha's skills, and happy that his beautiful, powerful daughter would one day succeed him on the Dark Council. Death :"This is for Gula, for Edea, and for everyone else you murdered. Perhaps you should have killed me when you had the chance."'' - Lynkai to Maestus Maestus was killed in 3638 BBY by Lynkai, who proved to be more powerful and strong than Maestus. She took his place on the Dark Council and assumed control of House Maestus. Her first order of business was to exile her half-sister Marha, stating Marha was still loyal to Maestus and a threat against Lynkai. Fearing for her life, Marha fled to Republic Space to find refuge with her distant cousin Liana, and plan her revenge against Lynkai for Maestus's death. Personality and Traits Name "Maestus" means several things in Latin: sad, sorrowful, melancholy, gloomy, and of or pertaining to mourning or sadness Children Maestus had two daughters: Marha and Lynkai. He only acknowledged Marha as his legitimate offspring, and doted upon her, grooming her to take his seat on the Dark Council. It was rumored that Marha was the only individual Maestus truly loved. It was also stated by Sith historians that Maestus's love for Marha blinded him from Lynkai's threat. The younger twi'lek was more powerful in the Force than Marha, and, had she been born human, would have from the start been a better candidate to take over House Maestus. Historians agree that Maestus was right to shun the child per the Empire's animosity towards aliens, but sending her to Korriban was the biggest mistake he made as he had essentially trained her to one day surpass him. Powers and Abilities Maestus is a Sith Assassin trained in the Deception Tree Family *Marha - Daughter *Lynkai - Daughter Category:Imperial Characters Darth Maestus Category:Onasi Family (Imperial)